Ask a weary Manchester United supporter what the best version of Anthony Martial is, they'll likely point back to when Premier League football returned to our television screens in the summer of 2020.
With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the wheel driving the Red Devils back towards the Champions League and two semi-finals amid the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Martial soared as United's undisputed No.9, ending the campaign with 23 goals in all competitions and finally repaying the faith that Solskjaer had shown in him since returning to Old Trafford as manager.
This was it. This was the man who Monaco were so insistent could win the Ballon d'Or that they convinced Ed Woodward to include a clause for the grand prize as part of his last-gasp £36million transfer deal in September 2015. Suffice to say, his lockdown flurry proved to be yet another false dawn in a long line of let-downs since Sir Alex Ferguson 's retirement.
Ahead of the 2020-21 season, Edinson Cavani came in as Solskjaer realised the need for a more active presence up front, one who could hassle defenders as much as he could bag a goal. By the end of that term, the Uruguayan was a cult hero at Old Trafford and Martial's four league goals had fans thinking his chances were spent, persistently letting Solskjaer down whenever he played.
Then came Cristiano Ronaldo, a force so strong that even Cavani was blown down the pecking order. In training, Solskjaer hoped to see some fire in Martial's belly in a bid to regain his place - but the Norwegian was ultimately left disappointed. According to the Athletic, Solskjaer - who stuck by his No.9 through multiple of goal-dry spells - eventually grew tired of Martial's unwillingness to bust a gut and was frustrated by his striker's lack of mobility off the ball.
Those were both observations that supporters picked up on during Jose Mourinho's tenure after Martial's first boss, Louis van Gaal, was booted out. But those sunny spells in 2020 gave fans hope that Martial had knuckled down. When Solskjaer got the axe after a disastrous start to last season, Martial was one of the players baring the blame, having scored just once before his boss' sacking.
Ralf Rangnick, a coach renowned for his devotion to playing pressing football, took the reins for an interim period, and the writing was on the wall. For Martial, the German's appointment prompted a January loan move to Sevilla and a measly one goal. Heading back to Manchester this summer amid reports that the Red Devils were even willing to tear up his contract in a bid to get him off the wage book, a beam of hope emerged: Erik ten Hag.
Even before Ronaldo's bombshell transfer request, the Dutch tactician was reportedly ready to give Martial a final chance to lead the line in pre-season, with the club happy to sell him if a sufficient offer was presented. When it came time to jet off on tour, Ronaldo stayed at home in Portugal and United hadn't signed a new forward, so Solskjaer's former apprentice made sure that Ten Hag wouldn't be able to criticise him for that same lack of effort.
Scoring three goals in four pre-season friendlies to force Old Trafford chiefs into a U-turn on their transfer stance, the Telegraph claim that Martial's willingness to bust a gut off the ball and rampantly chase down defenders has impressed his new gaffer - something Solskjaer was unable to conjure up. Pressing alongside Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes, the Red Devils' front four looks set for the new campaign.
While it may just be another short-lived flash in the pan like Solskjaer enjoyed on plenty of occasions, it's hard not to be excited. Ten Hag, who wants his teams to "press all day" but is more up-to-speed with contemporary coaching methods than predecessor Rangnick, is delighted that Martial and co are buying into his philosophy, with his disciplinarian style of management working.
"They connect really good together," the ex-Ajax boss explained when asked about his attack, who've racked up 13 goals in pre-season. "I think when you see that, you are lucky as a manager. They are a threat, the team has weapons and we need to improve that every day and develop that further."
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On Martial himself, Ten Hag has high hopes, but has put the firmly but the ball in the France international's court. "I'm sure he can come back even better," the United manager stated. "I think when he has the right focus and the right motivation and he works hard he will have production because he is a good player. I say when he has the right focus and every day delivers much then he will have production and it's up to him."
Of course, it's still pre-season and who knows where Martial will go from here? You couldn't argue with a cynic for saying he'll revert to his old self soon enough, but the fact Ten Hag has been able to instil his principles onto him in such a short amount of time on the training ground is certainly a promising sign.
And if he does turn a corner to finally become the striker that he's capable of being, there'll be no one more pleased than Solskjaer.
